I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Slayed by Souvlaki
by Jenny Kales
Series: Callie's Kitchen Mysteries #5
Series Rating:
on October 30, 2021
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 267
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
Goodreads
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: A Stew to a Kill, On the Chopping Block, Spiced and Iced, Secrets and Pies
Greek vacations can be murder! Recipes are included in this cozy mystery set in the Greek Islands.
Callie Costas can’t believe she is finally traveling to Greece with her significant other, Detective Ian Sands. However, this isn’t your average voyage: Callie’s father has invited a slew of colorful family members to his beautiful childhood village to celebrate his recent marriage. Callie is especially delighted to be reunited with her Greek “Aunt Sweetie” aka Glykeria.
The Costas family’s Greek getaway turns to Greek tragedy when murder turns up on the menu at the seaside restaurant of her father’s friend, Dimitrios. A restaurant employee has been killed and Dimitrios is a prime suspect.
With a hodge-podge group of tourists and villagers to round out the suspect list, can Callie help her father clear his friend’s name before the killer skewers her?
Slayed by Souvlaki by Jenny Kales is my introductory book to this fantastic series, and I loved everything about it!
Will Callie keep Dimitrios from going to jail for a murder he didn’t commit?
Calliope “Callie” Costas
Callie Costas is the sleuth, and I adored everything about her. She is a single mom and is dating Detective John Sands. Callie is a great mom and a great sleuth as well. Her family is obviously Greek, and it was cool to travel to Greece with them. I felt like I was actually there in Greece with the family. If I were to see Callie out on the streets, I would love to be her friend and to babysit Olivia if she needed it. Callie, Olivia, John, and everyone else in the Costas family are funny, and each one, in their way, helped Callie solve the mystery.
The Mystery
Valantis worked for Dimitrios and was a handsome young man who obviously couldn’t keep himself from flirting with many people. The Costas’s first night in Greece was met with a mystery, and almost everyone wanted to help keep Dimitrios from going to jail. I was sure that I knew who did it, but I was wrong and fell for a red herring. I just never thought the killer was who it was until they explained their motives. Darn, those red herrings being so easy to think it was them.
Five Stars
Slayed by Souvlaki by Jenny Kales is honestly not the first book I would have started with, but I’m glad that I did. Ms. Kales has a way about her writing that makes the reader feel like they are there with the characters. I adored this book, and I can’t wait to read more about this remarkable heroine and her cute kid. I am giving five stars and a recommendation to anyone that loves a cozy culinary mystery with a single mom raising an eleven-year-old little girl.
Oh, and don’t forget to check out the recipes in the back. They are also scattered throughout the book as Callie and her family are on their vacation. The recipes are Souvlaki Kallisto, Greek Rice Pilaf, tzatziki (Greek Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce), Saint Fanourios Olive Oil Cake (Fanouro-pita), Greek Twist Cookies (Koulourakia), Stuffed Peppers (Yemista), and Phyllo Custard Pastry (Galaktoboureko).
Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries
This series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Giveaway
Prize: (1) a Slayed by Souvlaki coffee mug, a Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries apron, an authentic Greek seasoning blend, and a $10 Amazon gift card. (U.S. Only)
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Slayed by Souvlaki by Jenny Kales. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Jenny Kales
Jenny Kales is the author of The Callie’s Kitchen Mystery Series, featuring Greek-American Calliope Costas, feisty food business owner and amateur sleuth, who lives in a scenic Wisconsin town with colorful characters — and a high murder rate! Each book contains several delicious recipes, both Greek and American. Callie’s latest adventure, SLAYED BY SOUVLAKI is the 5th Callie’s Kitchen Mystery series and was released in October 2021.
Jenny is an avid reader, cook and baker and she’s addicted to reading and British TV mysteries. She lives just outside of Chicago with her husband and is the mom of two daughters and one cute but demanding Yorkshire terrier. She’s hard at work on additional writing projects including more Callie’s Kitchen Mysteries and a new series releasing in 2022.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2021 Beachcomber Mystery Reading Challenge
- 2021 Cloak & Dagger
- 2021 Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge on Facebook
- 2021 Craving the Cozies
- 2021 Cruisin’ thru the Cozies
- 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2021 Medical Examiner’s Mystery Reading Challenge
- 2021 New Release Reading Challenge
- 2021 Six Shooter Reading Challenge
Thanks for featuring my book! So glad you enjoyed it, and I hope your readers do too!
🙂